Monthly Archives: October 2016

“Class is cancelled” — the best sentence a college student can hear. We turn off alarms set for the early hours of the morning, dreaming of how fantastic it’ll be to sleep in the next day. But in observance of Columbus Day, do those extra three hours come at a price of both ignorance and disrespect? And does this lead to a disregard for the struggles of people of Native American descent and in particular students of OU?

“I feel like it’s [observance of Columbus Day] not perceived as an issue”, Read-Johnson Hall in-residence counselor and Spanish professor Dave Lawrence said. Lawrence recently held a discussion on this issue in the lobbies of Read-Johnson.

Featured above are a mother and child at an Indigenous People march. More discussion is still needed to generate change for this community. Photo courtesy of Alex Garland from Flickr.

This outright disrespect is rarely seen or heard at OU, perhaps because only two students of Native American heritage currently reside here at OU. There is not a subsection in the OMSAR office for these students nor is there an organization that advocates for the voices of these students to be heard.

First-year student Erica Cox, of Choctaw descent, is one of these unheard voices. As a Rankin scholar, she is held to high expectations about supporting cultural contact and awareness. Cox says awareness of Native American culture is indeed a slight issue here at OU.

“There is a lot of discussion that is missed out on because people don’t talk about it. There are debates within tribes such as what to call indigenous people. If we got more people together, then maybe this could be fixed”.

Cox says even though she is recognized as only one of two, she knows statistically more people at OU have some American Indian heritage. She does “not particularly feel underrepresented,” but hopes there will be more discussion gearing towards treatment and recognition of Native American culture and heritage.

“Reaching out to people from other tribes and recognizing them not as indigenous people or Native Americans a whole, but as specifically members of their tribe, would be a great addition,” Cox additionally stated.

Lawrence says this lack of discussion can perhaps be found in roots traced back to Christopher Columbus himself.

“Studying the heroification of Columbus is actually sort of a gateway into understanding how we whitewash history. If we look at what’s going on with the pipeline now and compare it to the takeover of the Amazon, is it that different than what was going on before?” Lawrence said in reference to the recent protests against the installation of a new pipeline that will run into Native American territory. This installation will potentially pose various health risks for its residents.

States such as Minnesota, California, South Dakota, and Hawaii have issued public apologies for the unfair treatment and assimilation forces directed towards Native American communities. Lawrence says if OU hopes to change as well, the only way this trend of silence can be broken is if people speak up.

“I think it’d be neat if the university would go in the same routes of Minnesota and California and maybe call it into question. Systems don’t change just because it’s trendy: they (the university) would have to have some kind of pressure or catalyst. But, students should realize they tend to have a much more respected voice than they think they do.”

One thing we know for sure is that in Athens, Halloween is no joke. While celebrating holidays in small dorm rooms can be tough, it’s not impossible. For instance, door decorating is an easy way to be festive without cluttering your room. Halloween City, subsidiary of Party City, is located temporarily on East State Street, and has tons of decorations to offer. But for all those broke college students, there’s easier, cheaper, and more fun ways to do it.

In almost every human being is something that connects us together, an undeniable truth separating the normal from the insane. While some are more affected by this belief than others, shreds of it can be found universally. That truth is the opinion that clowns create an uneasy feeling.

The age-old war between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice advocates continues to force its way into the cracks and crevices of our everyday lives. Whether it’s a poster, pamphlet, protest, advertisement, or speaker it’s clear that there’s no end in sight for the battle between the two movements. And there shouldn’t be, because although it may be a tired issue, its core involves human life and human rights, neither of which should be taken lightly.

The Career and Leadership Development Center is proud to announce the opening application of this year’s Pepsi Leadership Scholars program. Pepsi Scholars main facilitator, Chelsea von Pagels, has provided us with some insight on what is new with the scholarship and what potential applicants, students, and OHIO Staff can expect from the program and those chosen to be a part of it.

Ohio University requires an internship credit to graduate. Some students may find this a burden but others take full advantage of the opportunities that the university provides for them. Check out these internships from students who had them to improve your resumé and possibly even get you a job after graduation.